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Dwarka property dealer shot dead for trying to stop extortion of shopkeepers, say police; one shooter arrested
A 45-year-old property dealer who was shot dead in his Toyota Fortuner car outside Najafgarh police station on Sunday was allegedly killed for trying to stop the extortion of shopkeepers at the Dwarka weekly market by a few gangsters, the Delhi Police said on Friday after arresting one of the two suspects involved in the fatal shooting
A 45-year-old property dealer who was shot dead in his Toyota Fortuner car outside Najafgarh police station on Sunday was allegedly killed for trying to stop the extortion of shopkeepers at the Dwarka weekly market by a few gangsters, the Delhi Police said on Friday after arresting one of the two suspects involved in the fatal shooting.
RP Meena, deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka), said the two killers were operating on the orders of two (alleged) gangsters, Amit Gulia and Ankush alias Bhalu, who are currently in jail. Both work for (alleged) gangster, Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, who is currently on the run.
“During the murder, one of the two killers was on a video call with Ankush, who is lodged in Tihar Jail,” said Meena. Ankush allegedly made the WhatsApp call to Rana to gave him the go-ahead for the murder.
“Ankush also used WhatsApp to send photos and vehicle details of the victim,” an officer associated with the investigation said, on condition of anonymity.
The Dwarka-based property dealer, Sushil Singh, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne men outside the Najafgarh police station on Sunday. Police had initially struggled to make headway in the case as the registration number plate of the motorcycle the assailants used had been removed.
But as the police probed deeper, what emerged was the story of an extortion racket run by notorious gangsters in the western periphery of the city.
On Thursday, a tip-off led to the arrest of one of the two suspected killers, 28-year-olf Manoj Rathi. The DCP said Rathi was caught with a pistol and three bullets. Rathi’s accomplice, Dharmender Rana, remains on the run, the police said.
“Rathi, a resident of Bahadurgarh, revealed that he is friends with Sangwan, Gulia and Ankush, three (alleged) gangsters involved in a host of crimes ranging from extortion to murder,” said the DCP.
About two months ago, Gulia and Ankush allegedly asked Rathi to extort money from shopkeepers at the weekly market (Shani Bazar) in Dwarka, the DCP said.
“But Sushil Singh opposed that and the jailed gangsters decided to eliminate him,” said the DCP, adding that there would be more clarity on the circumstances of the murder once the police probe further and arrest the other suspect.
The investigators have also learnt that Singh was killed for informing the police about the extortion racket, but the police are yet to confirm that independently.
